Week two has graced us with its presence and every team got a taste of the 2025 competition in week one. We saw a full slate of high intense games but only some were able to get out of the week unblemished. Last week we saw Moeller, Anderson, Ryle, and Badin start their seasons with big wins and gain some momentum heading into this week. They and others look to continue that momentum and get off to a 2-0 start while others look to pick themselves up off of the mat and bounce back for big victories.
This week conference battles take off in both the Greater Miami Conference and the Eastern Cincinnati Conference. A border rivalry hangs in the balance of the westside of the tristate when Harrison travels to battle East Central. Two perennial powers collide in Price Hill when Covington Catholic takes on Elder. Winton Woods heads to Kings for an ECC battle that could go along way in determining a league champion and defending ECC champion Anderson will host West Clermont after their big win in week one.
Week one taught us a little but week two is sure to bring more to the light. Can CovCath avoid an 0-2 start? Will Harrison take down the Trojans for a second straight season? Who runs the ECC in 2025? We’ll find that all out and more this week. Here are the Best Bets for week 2.
#10 Covington Catholic at #6 Elder
There is a ton of football left to play but this is for sure a big game for both teams this early in the season. The Colonels played well at times but could not make the big play when it mattered to get a home win last week. Penalties and mistakes thwarted their momentum when they had it. Defensively the Colonels were hurt on the ground as they gave up over 270 rushing yards to the Raiders. As one of the toughest teams in the entire state of Kentucky, they need to look to be more physical in defending the run and playing their style of game. The Colonels will look to bring that physicality to the field this week and what will undoubtedly be won in the trenches.
Offensively CovCath had their game rolling for the most part. Quarterback Cash Harney stood out as a player who made a great impact. The senior used his elusive play-making ability all night long and caused headaches for the Ryle defense. Harney amassed 318 all purpose yards as a thrower and runner for the Colonels and will look to continue that the of performance to help is team avoid the dreaded 0-2 start. Harney passed for 173 yards and a touchdown and rushed for another 145 including two touchdowns.
Elder started their season in dominating fashion over Mount Zion Prep (MD). The Panthers pitched a shutout and dominated the game in the trenches from start to finish. Mount Zion finished with -4 total yards in the game and could not sniff any success against the stout Elder defense. The Panthers picked off two passes on the night and were led in tackles by a host of defenders. This week will offer a step up in competition and the Elder defense looks poised to be ready for the challenge once again on their home field.
Offensively the Panthers used their running game to do their damage. Elder rushed for 157 yards and four touchdowns as a team as they overmatched Mount Zion Prep. Kaden Estep and Tommy Becker paced the rushing attack as the offensive line moved bodies repeatedly all night long.
CovCath has the players to keep up with Elder if they bring their A game but bet on Elder to ride their own momentum to a home win.
#24 Harrison at #15 East Central
Harrison snapped a long losing streak to the Trojans by getting a big win at home a season ago. The Wildcats are coming off of a dominant road win last week against Loveland where they got the juices flowing on their season. Harrison used a balanced attack to dispatch the Tigers. Brady Lawhon passed for 201 yards and three touchdowns in the win and the running game wasn’t too far behind as Preston Flick rushed for 100 yards and a score as well. Deep threat Josh Adelsperger hauled in six receptions for 88 yards and two touchdowns while flick had one touchdown reception. The defense held Loveland to 114 total yards and forced two turnovers to help put the game out of reach. David Baldock and Brycen Deller were the teams leading tacklers in the win.
East Central started their season with a 39-12 victory over rival Lawrenceburg. The Trojans played their typical brand of football en route to a dominating win on the road. Junior running back Ryan Minges was the story in the run game as he picked up where he left of last season. Minges rushed for 171 yards and three touchdowns to pace the team. Senior quarterback Nolan Maple passed for 208 yards and two scores while going 10/17 on the night and running an efficiently operated offensive attack. Defensively the Trojans barely gave the Tigers any room to make things work for their own offense. Trey Nishime led the team with eight tackles and a sack. Luke Bovard added another sack and six tackles to go along with a pass breakup. The four time state champions look to be a team to watch as they pursue another deep run later in the season.
Harrison got the win last season but bet on East Central to get back on track with a big win at home.
#5 Winton Woods at #18 Kings
Winton Woods jumped out to a 14-0 halftime lead a week ago and finished strong in the fourth quarter to slide past Springfield 21-14. The Warriors were paced by quarterback Bryshawn Brown who was a bring spot all night long. Brown passed for 213 yards and rushed for a touchdown to move his team to 1-0. Bo Diop scored a rushing touchdown as well as the Winton Woods offense performed well against a stout defense. The Warriors defense was great early on in giving their team the lead and finished strong late in the game. Nate Dawson returned an interception for a touchdown as part of five turnovers that the Warriors forced on the night. Dawson also recovered a fumble. Paul Nelson led the team with six tackles and a fumble recovery.
Kings whipped Sycamore in a season opener for the second straight season. The Knights went on the road this time and dominated every facet of the game from start to finish. Kings had 355 yards of total offense and were back to doing it in the air as well as on the ground. Quarterback Grant Nurre was 10/11 for 206 yards and 2 touchdowns on the night in the air. The senior also rushed for another two scores on the ground. Max Lockwood and Oliver Young both had rushing touchdowns for the Knights and Jaxon Frisk hauled in both of his catches for touchdowns as the Knights lit up the scoreboard. Logan Burke produced five tackles and three sacks for the defense who only allowed 132 total yards on the night.
These games can go either way but bet on the Warriors to steal one on the road.
#21 West Clermont at #4 Anderson
West Clermont jumped out to a 27-0 lead against Mount Healthy and never looked back last week. The Wolves got great play out of their offense as they rushed for 234 yards on the night. Landon Young rushed for 179 yards by himself to go along with four touchdowns. The Owls had no answer for him as he repeatedly gashed the defense. Caleb Abshire also had a rushing score. Defensively the Wolves the Owls to 144 total yards and almost pitched a shutout. Caillou Robinson had 8 tackles and Kaden Yeary had a sack to lead the charge in a dominating defensive effort and win.
Anderson had their offense going just as a year ago. The Raptors poured on the scoring against Cooper in their home opener to the tune of 530 total yards and 52 points. Owen Scalf passed for 333 yards and 3 touchdowns in his first start. Tysin Weaver and Cooper Kathman both caught 8 balls and had a touchdown as Anderson was potent through the air. Jordan Davis rushed for 101 yards and three touchdowns and Jeremiah Glenn added a touchdown as the Raptors were unstoppable. Defensively the Raptors shut down Cam O’Hara and the Cooper offense, holding them to 53 passing yards on the night. Brady Kuhn led the defense with his leadership and play recognition to go along with four tackles and two sacks.
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GAME OF THE WEEK
Make sure to check out the COMPLETE PREVIEW for this week’s featured game on the Blitz 5 Tour, No. 9 Highlands at #11 Cooper
Here are some other games for teams ranked inside the Blitz 5 Top 25:
OHIO
No. 1 Moeller vs Mt. Carmel (IL) (Ironton, OH)
Centerville at No. 2 St. Xavier
Mason at No. 3 Lakota West
No. 7 Princeton at Colerain
Oak Hills at No. 12 Lakota East
Fairfield at No. 14 Middletown
No. 16 Badin at Dixie Heights
KENTUCKY
Conner at No. 8 Ryle
No. 9 Highlands at No. 11 Cooper
